Outbound tourism in March up by 20%

Outbound tourist trips during March amounted to 29,451, an increase of 20.7 per cent over the corresponding month last year.

The number of outbound tourist trips towards EU countries in March stood at 25,570, while a further 3,881 trips headed towards non-EU destinations.  Both markets advanced by 19 and 31 per cent respectively.

The Easter holiday season, which this year began in March as opposed to April last year, was one of the main contributory factors to the increase. The most popular destinations remained Italy and the UK sharing between them 61 per cent of total tourist trips. Almost all European markets recorded increases when compared to last year.

The majority of outbound tourists were males (57 per cent). When compared to March 2012, the number of outbound tourist trips carried out by males and females increased by 13 and 33 per cent respectively. Most outbound tourists fell within the 25-44 age bracket (38 per cent), and were followed by the 45-64 age group (27 per cent).  During the month under review, there were 31,089 outbound visitor trips, of which 1,638 were same-day visits.

January-March 2013

Outbound passengers during the first quarter totalled 72,725 - an increase of 15 per cent when compared to 2012. An estimated 86 per cent of outbound tourists chose to visit EU destinations, with Italy and the UK ranking as the most popular destinations. In total, both EU and non-EU trips registered increases, reaching 62,845 and 9,880 respectively.

Male passengers outnumbered females and reached 41,952, or 58 per cent of the total. Same-day visitors for the first quarter numbered 3,437.

More than half of total outbound trips were carried out for holiday purposes, while a further 21 per cent were undertaken for business and professional reasons. The average length of stay was highest among outbound tourists visiting relatives and friends, at 10.7 nights.

Non-package travel was significantly higher than package travel, with an estimated 83 per cent of total travel.

Further analysis shows that the majority of outbound tourists made use of collective accommodation establishments while abroad. The average length of stay in collective accommodation stood at 5.6 nights, while that recorded for private accommodation stood at 11.0 nights). Trips to EU and non-EU destinations had an average length of stay of 6.3 nights and 15.1 nights respectively.

Total outlay by outbound tourists during the first quarter of 2013 stood at €68.2 million, equivalent to €125.3 per night. Total package expenditure stood at €6.7 million (€83.3 per night), while that for non-package trips stood at €22.6 million (€48.6 a night).